George emerson



G. EMERSON MEANS FOR KILLING POIULTRY.

Patented Oct. 27, 1891 W/TNESSES;

( 0 Model.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE EMERSON, OF LONG BOTTOM, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES IVILBERT TORRENOE, OF SAME PLACE.

MEANS FOR KILLING POULTRY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,117, dated October 27, 1891.

Application filed May 6, 1891. Serial No. 391,839. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE EMERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Bottom, in the county of Meigs and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for Killing Poultry, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the killing of poultry and birds of every description, and its to object is to facilitate that business by providing an easy, cleanly, and rapid means for taking the lives of all winged fowls. I attain the objects mentioned above by means of the machine illustrated in the accompanying i 5 drawings, in which-- Figure l is a perspective view of the exterior or outside part of the machine. Fig. 2

. is a similar view of apart that fits into Fig. i

1, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of thetwo parts of the device shown together.

Similar letters refer to similar parts.

X, Fig. 1, is a tapering open-ended box or case of rectangular cross-section, about thirtysix inches long or high, twelve inches wide in the clear at the top or large end, and two inches wide in the clear at the bottom or small end. This box answers every purpose for which it is designed when made of plank one-half inch in thickness, although thicker or thinner material maybe used. In one side of thisbox, (whichIwillcall the front side,) and exactly in the middle of that side, I cause a tapering slot A or open space to be made. This slot A extends the whole length of the box and divides the front side of the box into two parts or pieces. This slot A is three inches wide at the top or large end of the box, and one inch wide at the bottom or small end of the box, and being situated exactly in the middle of said front side of said boxthere are left just four and one-half inches in the clear upon each side of the slot A at the top end of the box, and on e-half inch in the clear upon each side of the slot A at the bottom.

The inner edge or corner of the wood upon each side of the slot A I bevel or round off so as to form a smooth but rounding surface, and this beveled or rounding part, which is made for the purpose of getting rid of the square or abrupt corner of the wood, extends from the bottom of the box to within about one inch of the top, both sides or inner edges of the slot A being alike.

To hold the top part of the box firm, and to keep it from spreading out or inclining in after the slot A (or open space) has been made,

I put across the top of said slot A a bridgepieceB in the form of a wire staple. This staple is made of a piece of wire eight inches in length and oueeighth of an inch in thickness, one inch and one-half of each end of which is bent down so as to form a square corner with pointed end driven into the wood upon each side of the slot A. The object of this staple is, as before intimated, to hold the top end of the box to its proper dimensions.

Through the back part of the box and in the cent-er-that is, at equal distance from each side, and, say, one inch and one-half from the top-I bore a half-inch hole 0. This hole is made to, hang the box up by, in conjunction with a nail which goes through it (the hole (3) and is driven into a post, the side of a shed, or into any spot or place that is most convenient.

To explain the use of the device I submit the following directions: Hang up the box, Fig. 1, by means of .a nail through the hole C in the back part near the top. \Vith your right hand take your chicken by the legs and tips of the wings, and with your left take it by the head, underneath the wire B, and put it into the box with its back to the front and carry its head along down outside the slot A. hen you come to where the chicken rests drop it into the box, bring the head forward and downward, (slightly,) and with a sharp knife give one drawing upward cut and sever the windpipe and arteries, which are situated on the under part of the neck. Then let go the head and allow the chicken to bleed; or, if desired, it is practicable to cut downward from the upper part of the neck and cut-the head off entirely. It the box is too long or high for the person using it, and the chicken or bird be small, tie the-legs together with one end of a string, leaving the other end three or four feet long, then lower the bird down into the box as far as you can, and after dropping it draw it to its place by means of Ice its head, then wrap the string around the nail upon which the box hangs, kill your bird, and lift its bodyout by means of the string.

If it is desired, when killing, to confine-the escaping blood to certain limits, hang a cloth over the front part of the box, set a tub or other vessel below, and do the cutting underneath the cloth.

Experience with the box, Fig. 1, as above, and also with certain temporary additions thereto, demonstrated the fact that while the larger and heavier fowls-notably geese, dorkings, and others whose bodies are inclined to be squarecould be killed and bandled with perfect satisfaction in the box, Fig. 1, alone, much better, in fact, than if a receptacle of the same size were of any other shape, because of more room for the body and a better fit,I have found thatwhen it cametolighter and more active birds with rounder bodiessmall hens, pullets, and younger chickens' they were apt in their struggles to work themselves around, get a wing out through the slot A and bruise themselves. To meet and remedy this difficulty I provide a circular lining, Fig. 2, of thin sheet metal for the box, Fig. 1. This lining is as long as the box, wit-l1 the exception of one inch, and has a slot A (which is upon the front side) five inches wide at the top and one inch wide at the bottom. There is a half-inch hole 0 in the center of the back of thislining and near the top. This hole 0 is made to correspond with the hole 0 in Fig. 1, and thislining beingcut and shaped to fit exactly in a circular manner the inside of the box I put it in and the hole 0 comes exactly over and in coincidence with the hole 0 in the box, Fig. 1. Three sides of this lining are supported and held in proper shape by the three solid sides of the box, and the fourth or front side of the lining (the side through which the slot or open space is made) is fastened to the wood against which it rests near the top by means of two small screw-pins s, Fig. 3,0ne on each side of the slot A. These screw-pins are made each of a piece of wire three-fourths of an inch long and one-eighth of an inch in thickness. The head is all on one side and formed by bending one end of the Wire over to not exactly a right angle, but nearly so. The head is one-fourth of an inch long, measuring from the pin. These screw-pins enter the Wood just at the edge of and outside the lining, and when I desire to take the lining out of the box I turn the heads of the two screwpins one-half way around in thedirection of the slot A, When the lining, being loosened, readily falls out. VVhen- I have occasion to put the lining in the box again I do so, and by turning the screw-pins back to their first position the lining is fastened and held firm. I thus make the lining detachable, so that persons using the machine may take out the lining or leave it in, as they choose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is l. A device for retaining fowls while being slaughtered, consisting of a tapered box or chamber having a longitudinal slot in itsside,

substantially as shown and described.

2. A device for retaining fowls While being slaughtered, consisting of a tapered box or chamber having a tapering longitudinal slot in its side, substantially as shown and described.

3. A device for retaining fowls While'being slaughtered, consisting of a tapered box or chamber having a longitudinal slot in its side, with a bridge-piece extending across the slot to brace this side,substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination of the tapered rectangular box having a longitudinal slot in its side and a detachable circular inner lining also made tapering and provided with a longitudinal slot in its side, substantially as and for the purpose described.

" GEORGE EMERSON.

Witnesses:

J AMES R. HAWLEY, JOHN FRANCIS TORRENCE. 

